Everything we are asked, answered plainly. If yours is not here, ask through the contact page.
AI images carry structural artifacts, statistical patterns, and metadata inconsistencies invisible to the eye. We screen a submitted image with multiple independent detectors and report what was found — high-confidence AI generation, suspicious indicators, no reliable evidence of manipulation, or insufficient signal to evaluate.
No. We never publish a customer result. Every completed review issues a REAL Check, and it is only verifiable by someone you give the code to — the registry is not browsable and answers one code at a time. If you are proving your own work is real, that mark is yours to publish. If you are checking someone else’s content, nothing is posted and the other person is not notified.
It comes with every completed review at no extra cost. Your REAL Check is the final page of your report and a standalone image you can post, attach, or hand over. It shows your result, the date of the review, your case number, and a scannable code. Anyone can scan the code and confirm in seconds that your record is on file with us. It is yours to use: put a name on it, such as a person, a business, or a band, or keep only the report. More on the REAL Check.
A high-speed initial screening. The system scans for deepfake signatures, metadata anomalies, and “synthetic fingerprints” that the human eye cannot detect, and returns an objective signal on whether the media is organic or machine-generated. PROBE covers text and images; CASE adds voice; DOSSIER adds video and a human-led review.
Proprietary forensic engines cross-reference the submitted media against known digital signatures and look for inconsistencies in file integrity, pixel-level artifacts, and data structures invisible to the human eye.
Metadata such as EXIF data provides clues, but the review analyses the substance of the file — the pixels and the container. Even when a file has been “cleaned” of its history, structural artifacts can still point to a synthetic origin.
No service can certify a video as authentic. We analyse sampled frames for deepfake artifacts and report the finding. We also screen for fully AI-made video, including clips made with Sora, Veo and Runway. “No reliable evidence of manipulation” is meaningful, but it is not proof. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Submitted audio is screened for synthetic-speech signatures. An optional voice-comparison add-on compares a recording in question against a known reference recording of the same person.
Submit the original file. If screening finds no reliable evidence of AI generation, the report documents that finding and issues a shareable verification mark you can point to when your work is challenged.
Yes. Paid authenticity screening for documents, images, audio, and video — from $20 for a single item to $250 for a full multi-evidence case. Every review returns a written report and a verification mark.
We probe text for the statistical and structural fingerprints generative models leave behind — patterns that are mathematically regular in ways human writing is not.
No. The score is computed by fixed deterministic rules in code. Automated language tools phrase the explanation only. Models suggest. Rules decide. Humans govern.
Most reviews complete in 3 hours or less. You get an email when your case opens and another when the report is ready.
Reports are intended for informational purposes and internal verification. We provide probabilistic forensic information; we are not a licensed private investigative agency or law firm, and reports are not legal advice, expert witness testimony, or a final legal conclusion of authenticity. We provide the evidence; you make the determination. If you need a fuller record, DOSSIER adds a Lead Investigator review and a written interpretive summary.
Your privacy is paramount. Unlike “free” online tools that train their AI on your uploads, your files are processed in a secure, isolated environment and are never used to train or refine external generative models.
No. AARA does not maintain an indefinite database of customer-submitted private evidence. Evidence and related information are kept in the system for 15 days for processing, delivery, support, dispute handling, fraud prevention, and legal compliance, and are permanently deleted from all related systems after 30 days, unless AARA receives valid legal process before deletion. After deletion, the only ordinary retained copy is the copy retained by the purchasing owner.
You get an honest “unable to evaluate” rather than a manufactured number, plus what went wrong so a resubmission can succeed. You also receive a resubmission code by email. Send the file again on our Resubmission Form at no charge, using the same email address you ordered with.
Forensic review requires the immediate allocation of high-performance computing resources and investigator time. Because the analysis begins the moment your payment is confirmed, the service is executed instantly and is non-refundable. Submissions declined before analysis are not charged.
Original, unedited files. For video, the subject’s face visible for a good portion of the clip. For audio, a clean voice with minimal reverb. For images, one subject — not a collage.
Video must be MP4. Files upload directly: up to 5 MB on REAL QUICK and 10 MB on PROBE, CASE and DOSSIER. For a DOSSIER review of longer or larger video, send a private file-sharing link from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, WeTransfer or Box, up to 5 minutes and 500 MB. Every package lists its file types and limits on the Pricing page. Step-by-step instructions: How to Submit an Evidence File Link.
Send the video itself. Save it, trim it to 5 minutes or less, and upload it as an MP4, or share it from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, WeTransfer or Box. The link must open the exact file with no login or access request. YouTube, social media and web pages are not accepted. Step-by-step: How to Submit an Evidence File Link.
They scan the code on it, or enter the REAL Seal ID or case number on the Verify page. It is free, with no account and no sign-in. The page tells them whether the record is verified and active, registered but inactive, or not found. Try it on the Verify page.
You get a dated, independent record with a case number and a REAL Check. The person doubting you can scan the code and confirm the record themselves, without taking your word for it. More in our guide: What do I do if someone falsely accuses me of using AI?
All orders must be placed by someone 18 or older, and reviews may not be conducted on or about anyone under 18. Licensed behavioral therapists, medical professionals, and law enforcement acting in an official capacity may send an exception request through our contact page.
Reports check content, such as a writing sample or a portfolio, for signs of AI or editing. They may not be used to make decisions about employment, credit, insurance, housing or tenancy. We are not a consumer reporting agency.
Compression, screen-recording, re-saving, forwarding, and filters strip or distort the very signals we measure. A forwarded screenshot carries far less evidence than the original file.
You should not. A package blends everything submitted into a single cumulative score, so unrelated subjects distort the result. Keep one order to one subject.
No. We assess files, not identities. We do not verify who appears in an image and we are not a consumer reporting agency.
A one-time membership with a physical programmed verification marker and REAL Seal Team Cost — half the price of the same review — for as long as you hold it.
Reviews are available anywhere. REAL Seal™ cards and stickers are for U.S. members only and ship to U.S. addresses. Your card arrives in 7–10 business days, and your report is delivered right away; it never waits for the card.
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